Rachel Crow

Rachel Kelly Crow, born January 23, 1998, is an American singer and actress. She first rose to prominence as a contestant on the first season of the American television competition series The X Factor in 2011, where her audition was the first ever broadcast on television. Following her elimination from the show as the ninth contestant, Crow established a career across music, television, and film, releasing her debut extended play in 2012 and appearing in various screen productions.

Crow was born in Mead, Colorado, into an abusive household to a mother who was addicted to cocaine. At six months of age, she was placed in foster care and was adopted a year later by Barbara Crow, a former hospital counselor, and Kelly Crow, the owner of an excavation business in Boulder. She grew up alongside her younger sister, Hannah. According to her mother, Crow sang her first song at 18 months old and performed in her school talent show at six years old. In 2008, her family relocated to Los Angeles, California, to support her music career. Between the ages of 10 and 12, Crow was homeschooled, performed stand-up comedy, and joined the first group of children to perform at Harrah's casino in Las Vegas.

In 2011, Crow auditioned for the US version of The X Factor with the song "Mercy." She advanced through the competition to the live shows and reached the quarterfinals. After landing in the bottom two, she competed in a sing-off against Marcus Canty. A judge's deadlock resulted in her elimination based on receiving the fewest votes. Following the announcement, her mentor Simon Cowell and her mother consoled her.

Following her elimination, Crow reached out to Walt Disney for potential roles and signed a music contract with Columbia Records and a television deal with Nickelodeon in February 2012. She joined Big Time Rush's Summer Tour 2012 alongside Cody Simpson and released her self-titled five-song debut extended play in June 2012. The EP featured the lead single "Mean Girls," which she co-wrote with producer Toby Gad, alongside a track featuring rapper Mann. Crow later released the singles "Solo" in 2017, "Dime" through BMG Rights Management, "Coulda Told Me" featuring Chika in 2018, and "Up All Night" in 2019. She has cited Kendrick Lamar, Etta James, Eminem, and SZA as musical influences.

Crow's television and film appearances include BrainSurge, Inside Edition, Big Time Rush, Figure It Out, The Wendy Williams Show, Invisible Sister, and Fred: The Show. In voice acting, she played Carla in the 2014 animated film Rio 2 and voiced Gratuity "Tip" Tucci in the Netflix animated series Home: Adventures with Tip and Oh. She starred in the 2017 Netflix original film Deidra & Laney Rob a Train and held a recurring role as Felicia Somers in the first season of ABC's Schooled.

In 2014, Crow was featured in an advertisement for peta2 to promote pet adoption. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to leave Los Angeles. She subsequently enrolled at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City and graduated in 2025.